The new installation will be an addition to the company’s arsenal of digital and wide-format printers such as 12 Konica Minolta kits, a Canon IR 8105, a HP PageWide 8000 XL and two Duplo print finishing machines, among other kits. KGN has been a leading print service provider in the region for more than three decades now. 

According to Asif Akther, managing director at KGN Xerox, the ban on flex in Karnataka was a key factor to dislodge its eco-solvent Epson SureColor-306070 machine, which the company housed for close to 10 years, and invest on the Pixeljet UV printer as a further environment-friendly solution.

In addition to the eco-friendly advantage, the hybrid machine has a LED UV curable inkjet system that offers the capability of printing a large size on a rigid as well as soft media. The machine can print on a wide range of indoor and outdoor media such as corrugated boards, plastics, acrylic, glass, foam boards, exhibition panels, wood, aluminum, MDF and PS materials, among others.

“Pixeljet 2512 RMO is ideal for short to high level production of multiple jobs with a variety of sized media and also offers edge-to-edge printing that eliminates the need of extra finishing steps, saving time and money,” said Manoj Garg of Monotech Systems.  

KGN aims to employ the hybrid printer for signage, gifting and interiors, among other applications, for which the company employed its Epson and other sublimation kits from its sister concern, Tagmoments Personalised Gifting.  

The flatbed and roll-to-roll machine consists of a multilayer printing feature that helps to print several colours and white ink layers in a single run. “Pixeljet 2512 RMO will enable us to print on a range of media on both flatbed and roll-to-roll, especially with white ink and a UV effect,” added Akther.

Akther also mentioned that Monotech being an Indian manufacturer will help his company avail the Ricoh printheads incorporated in the Pixeljet machine much faster.

Speaking about the impact of Covid-19 on his business, Akther said that there was a major decrease in his print shops’ customer footfall. “There has been an immediate impact of the pandemic in the printing industry with an overall decrease in sales of more than 50 per cent,” he said.

However, looking forward, Akhter foresees signages, branding and posters to spread awareness about pandemics such as Covid-19 to be a driving factor for the wide-format printing industry in the near future.